Dumplings

The Spanish colonized the Philippines from 1521 to 1898 and the Chinese
set up trade posts in Filipino coastal towns as early as the Sung Dynasty (960–1127 AD). Pancit molo resembles Chinese wonton soup, but with an addition of ingredients and flavors that meld the Filipino, Chinese and Spanish cuisines. The name pancit molo refers to the famous Filipino town Molo. Wontons were first included in the seaport village, adding a Chinese element to the soup. Spanish fried garlic was included as a garnish and Filipino fish sauce added roundness and umami. The traditional components are Chinese wontons (a mixture of ground/minced pork wrapped in wonton wrapper), shredded chicken meat and prawns. Pancit (or pansit) is the Filipino word for noodles. Although there are no traditional noodles in this soup, it earns the name from the wonton wrappers. 

By syr, Ukrainians mean a particular curd cheese, standing somewhere between cottage and ricotta cheese, made from raw milk at home and used for everything from spreading on rye bread to filling dumplings. So important is syr that it has also come to be a generic word for all cheeses.

Traditionally, Ukrainian mothers knew that syr was good for their children’s bones and teeth, but my friend Katrya detested it. Her mum kept trying to sneak syr into sweet treats that Katrya might be persuaded to eat, but all her attempts failed miserably. Then one day she made syr into savory little curd cheese cushions… and, lo and behold, Katrya has been happily eating these Ukrainian cousins of Italian malfatti with butter and herbs ever since. 

You don’t have to abandon this fabulous dish in the colder seasons, either – just substitute the beans with winter greens. Some feta or other salty cheese can be added too, if you like.

There is something universal about dumplings—we all connect over our shared love of boiled dough stuffed with a filling of sorts. While there are so many types of dumplings native to different parts of the former Soviet Union, Siberia’s claim to fame is its own signature type called Siberian pelmeni. These tiny round dumplings stuffed with a blend of ground pork and beef are consumed with a generous chunk of butter, black pepper, and sour cream or—and this is my family’s favorite—in their own richly flavored cooking broth, with plenty of black pepper, of course! My dad would often have these (as well as pretty much anything else) with soy sauce that his mother would send us from his home town of Khabarovsk way before it became widely available in shops all over Russia. Since pelmeni were usually eaten in winter when no fresh herbs were available, adding fresh dill was not common practice, but I would highly recommend this to you these days, as well as experimenting with other non-Russian herbs. Pelmeni in sage butter, anyone?

This hearty Southern take on chicken soup features tender shreds of chicken and chewy strips of pastry in an ultra savory stock. Browning the chicken before simmering it in store-bought chicken broth provided a flavorful base. We opted for chicken thighs rather than lean breasts because they stayed tender throughout the long stewing process. Rolling the “pastry”—which we made from just flour, butter, milk, and baking powder—to 1/8 inch thick before adding it to boiling broth made it fluffy and soft. And cutting the dough into diamond shapes rather than squares added just a little flair to this homey dish. Keep the root ends of the onion halves intact so the petals don’t separate during cooking and the onion is easy to remove from the pot.

Pot stickers, known as jiaozi in China, are a kind of meat or vegetable-filled dumpling, commonly eaten across Asia.

In most of Italy, these dumplings are called gnocchi verdi (gnocchi with greens) and ricotta or ravioli gnudi (“nude ravioli,” or ravioli filling without pasta).

These scallop dumplings with their chunks of smoked salmon are pure Scandinavia, especially when you float them in a broth flavored with dill and allspice. If only all the grand things in life came together this easily.

 

This is the homemade pasta to make with little kids; anyone who can work with Playdough can make these gnocchi with expertise.